Gutterslang
Bwanas Current L.A. slang for "brother", the term "bwana" has changed before and will change again. The word is often used casually by Brights, but among Darks it has taken on a very precise and significant meaning, particularly for those dwelling in the Containment Zone. Every native of Lynwood knows who his or her bwanas are. Your bwanas are your gang, the kids you allied with from childhood. They were the only ones you could trust in an environment where trust was a more precious commodity than money, drugs or food. They are more than friends: they are irreplaceable, and their number typically dwindles over the years. When one's last bwana dies, it has become customary for the sole survivor of the group to carry out a suicide attack upon whomever - or whatever - was responsible for his or her death. This is a matter of honor, and it has led to some interesting situations, for instance, when the death is the result of accidental or natural causes. Fortunately, perhaps, for the one oathbound to vengeance, such creative solutions are rarely necessary: in Lynwood, death tends to have a face and a name and a nasty way of preying on the young. Ruffs There are still those in Lynwood who, for whatever reason, do not associate with any specific group. It is difficult to maintain this freewheeling way of life and survive for any length of time. Those that managed to do so came to be called 'roughnecks', but this term has become abbreviated in general use. In practice, it is a catch-all name for those individuals who cannot be described as anything else, whether because they eschew the trappings of any punk or tribal style, or because they're new to the area and haven't found their niche yet. Punks Punks are merely Ruffs with plumage, some say. They hate that. But they are a mixed lot, united primarily by their contempt for the tribal culture which has become so predominant in Dark society. In a twist of irony, however, they have come to resemble a tribe themselves. They are easily recognizable by their aesthetic, a look that they call 'retro-upgrade', consisting of bright colours, outlandish accoutrements, and a whole lot of cyber. Although they tend to rove in packs, these gangs are more fluid than those of Tribals, and preserve more respect for the outlook and expression of the individual. Tribals In contrast to ordinary gangs, tribes tend to be family groups. Any given tribe might have originated as a gang: all it takes is a group of people with common ideas about how to live their lives, and the dedication to pursue this through a communal style of living. New tribes are formed in Lynwood all the time, but few survive to be worthy of the name. After a few generations, those tribes that persist become closely knit by ties of kinship as well as ideology. However, since the tribal unit did not appear until after the Fall (except in the cases of a few Californian cults and communes which were the first to emerge in the post-Apocalypse "Tribal" scene,) nearly all tribes are still in their first couple generations. As a social group, the most defining aspect of a tribe is the rigid conformity required of all its members. Tribals might look like 'non-conformists' to a Bright tourist, but in actuality, each is governed by the standards for dress and behavior of his particular group - and usually these standards are quite rigid. Individualism is out of fashion in Lynwood, perhaps because there are no longer any common social standards to measure oneself against. There are a number of Tribes, but the knowledge of their inner workings (contained in these files) means you have area knowledge 4 or better (if Bright) and 2 or better (if Dark). Dreks Nomads As the name indicates, these are wandering peoples. Rather than claiming or defending any piece of land, they prefer the safety and anonymity of dispossession. Arriving more often singly than in groups, they turn up in LATMA frequently, but rarely stay for long. With their outdated clothes, broken English, and what is frequently a poor grasp of the present (many seem to believe they are still living in a 'United States') it is theorized that these poor souls are those whose minds simply cracked during the chaos of the Fall. The second type of nomads are those who come in packs, and filter through LA Harbor. These nomads are more technologically adept, more suspicious of corporations and government, and prone to carrying firearms and other ordnance - consequently, they do most of their traveling via the highways, where such armament is both required and respected. Their presence in dark sectors, and sectors where bartering rather than bank credit is the economy, is due to their lifestyle - few remain in one place long enough to acquire official paperwork, even fewer are willing to trust the banks, or the credit-based economy. Category:Setting